Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Cuts Ribbon on Affordable Co-Ops at ANCP Morningside, Highlights Homeownership Agenda in Block by Block Housing Plan
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good morning. It is always a pleasure to be just a few blocks away from where I grew up and within walking distance of Koronet. However, we are not here today to marvel at the incredible structural feat that is almost certainly New York City's largest slice of pizza. We are here to cut the ribbon on a far more important structural achievement, the completion of 36 newly renovated affordable co-op homes here at ANCP Morningside. I want to acknowledge partners who helped to make this possible. First and foremost, Karim Hutson, president and CEO of Genesis Companies; Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity [and] Manhattan Community Board 10. We also have leaders from our own administration that are here, Michael Garner, chief business diversity officer; we have Patrick Love, HPD deputy commissioner; Cea Weaver, director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants with us. And we also have partners across elected office, including Miesha Smith, deputy Manhattan borough president and Assembly Member Jordan Wright, as well as the Office of Council Member Yusef Salaam. Now, our city is grappling with one of the worst housing crises in American history. A crisis that sits at the very root of the affordability crisis, burdening so many across the city. No cost weighs heavier than housing. Too many have looked at their mortgage payment and utility bill and wondered how they could possibly afford both. Too many sat around the kitchen table at night doing an impossible equation, trying to find a way to stay in the city that they love. And too many have been forced to live in buildings languishing in disrepair with nowhere else to go, no way to find permanent, more stable options. City Hall will no longer sit idly by as this crisis worsens. Instead, we are taking action and transforming the housing landscape of this city. Two weeks ago, I stood before a group of homeowners and tenants and announced City Hall's housing plan, Block by Block. It is the most ambitious housing plan our city has seen in generations. It will allow us to tackle this crisis with scale and with the urgency that it demands. And it will deliver change to our communities one block at a time. We will fulfill a promise made during the campaign. And build 200,000 affordable and permanently rent-stabilized homes, and we will preserve 200,000 more, two historic initiatives made possible by a $22 billion investment over the next five years. As we build and preserve these 400,000 homes, we will also make it easier for New Yorkers to buy a home, putting the dream of homeownership within reach for so many to whom it has long been denied. We will double the number of home ownership opportunities in new developments. Through the Open Door program and by supporting community land trusts. We will remove negligent owners and property managers of buildings suffering from chronic neglect or mired in foreclosure and shift ownership to responsible community stewards. And we will launch a new program called Our Home, facilitating the renovation of city stewarded buildings into safe and affordable cooperatives so that building ownership can ultimately be transferred to the residents themselves. Our Home is modeled on the success of conversions like the one that we stand before today, right here at 321 W 116th Street. The transformation that has taken place on this corner is evidence that when City government is willing to step in and lead boldly, New Yorkers can expect meaningful change and decent, dignified homes. For years, these buildings were left to decay by property owners who had abandoned their tenants. After the city assumed ownership of the buildings. They entered the Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program, or ANCP, where they were converted in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the developer Genesis into 100 percent affordable co-ops. They are now in the process of being fully renovated. Many of these homes have been put up for sale via the Housing Connect Lottery at prices between $220,000 and $288,000. To put that into perspective, the medium home price in Morningside Heights is estimated at $841,500. ANCP Morningside is just one example of what becomes possible when government acts with urgency and acts with purpose. And our work will not stop there. Through the Office of Deed Theft Prevention and the Mortgage Assistance Program, we will ensure the stability of home ownership remains within reach for New Yorkers across the five boroughs. That every person deserves a dignified home is not simply an ideal; it is a responsibility the City can and will fulfill. We are not just the largest city in the nation, we will also deliver the largest housing transformation our country has ever seen. And if you want to know just how big that is, I have one word for you, Koronet. Thank you. With that being said, I will now pass it over to Assemblymember Jordan Wright.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThis is one part of our Block by Block housing plan, and so in that plan we've talked about 200,000 new homes across the five boroughs, 200,000 existing affordable homes that are currently in a status of disrepair that we would preserve, and I'll pass it over to our team to just add in any specifics beyond that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think to your point, and I think you heard as well from Karim, the process itself is one that's worthy of reflection. On my first day in office as the mayor of our city, we started a SPEED task force that was directed to investigate all of the procedures by which we build and develop housing, and what we found was frankly staggering. We found that there was a seven-month delay between when a unit was vacant and a tenant could actually move into that unit — on average. We found that it was possible for the city, in partnership with the state, to cut up to two years from an affordable housing project's timeline. I'll pass it over again to the team for any additional details on the program specifically.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThank you, ma'am. Just before we wrap up, I want to make sure that our state senator can add a few words.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSounds good. So, I'll start with the first question, then I'll go to the second question. On the first, as I've said, I support removing horse carriages from Central Park. I've also said that I look forward to working with union partners and community leaders to actually deliver on that. And I know that many New Yorkers were disturbed by what they saw yesterday and I'm one of them. And on the second question — yes?
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I've thought about this mostly in the context of whether carriages should continue within the park. That's something that I would say that it's just — the question at hand right now is of Central Park itself. And I know that's been a long-standing conversation. This is my view on it, and I'm looking forward to working with union leaders and community leaders to deliver on that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think in Central Park what we've seen is a lot of concern about the welfare of these horses and I want to figure out a way for us to actually get to the end of that path.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI want to go through a number of things. So, first of all, I know that there are many here in their orange and blue, and we're incredibly excited for the game tonight. The watch party is back on for outside of Madison Square Garden, and I'm thrilled that New Yorkers will once again have the opportunity to come together to cheer on the Knicks and to be part of this historic Finals run. Madison Square Garden applied for a permit for an event the size of 500 to 1000 people for the watch party; we approved the maximum end for 999 attendees. As my police commissioner outlined at her security briefing on Monday, additional security measures will be in place outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 4 to ensure that everyone can safely enjoy the event. And the security in place this evening is in line with the measures that the NYPD uses for gatherings at this size, whether it be July 4 or New Year's Eve. And what we are speaking about here is really a moment where this team has brought an extraordinary amount of energy, pride, excitement to every corner of our city. And we want to encourage every New Yorker to celebrate in this moment, to do so responsibly, and to be looking out for one another through it all. We want this to be a memorable night for all the right reasons.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceLook, I would say crime is going down in New York City, but what we saw the other night did feel criminal. And I think when you talk about the absence of a flagrant, when you talked about, I mean, our coach was reminding the refs of how they were calling the game on one side of the court and not the other side of court. So, you know, I understand that this is going to be tough — this is the finals that we're talking about — but you just look at the disparity on fouls that were being called. I think many New Yorkers came away from that game with a very clear reflection of the absence of fair refereeing. I'll leave it there.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYeah, why don't we just go for the second question as well.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI will tell you that I heard from many New Yorkers around the races that are upcoming. As you said, early voting starts on Saturday. Election day is now less than two weeks away and we're a city of 8.5 million people. There's always going to be at least 8.5 million opinions. I'm proud of the candidates that I did endorse, and we are seeing a number of those candidates, whether at the state level or the congressional level, and I think they're building exactly the right kind of momentum. We know that for many working New Yorkers, they do not have the time to be thinking about elections until we get to the point of elections because they're too busy trying to make ends meet in the nation's most expensive city. When it comes to Darializa’s campaign for Congress, no, I had not seen those tweets. And what I've heard from her and what I know a lot of others in the district have heard from here is that her views have evolved and that the campaign that she's running on is reflective of what she's going to be fighting for. And frankly, when I see a candidate who has a record like she does of freeing New Yorkers who were unjustly detained by ICE — of standing up for the working person who has often been left out of our politics, especially in a district that really has so many of the same themes that we're speaking of today, a fear of displacement, a fear being pushed out of a place that you've helped to build — I think that she would be an incredible champion for that district and for the city as a whole.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I have appreciated the chancellor's leadership of our school system and I'm proud of the way that he has been delivering for New York City Public School students as well as teachers and families. And I continue to be confident in his leadership. I also take any SCI investigation seriously and will be sure to await the findings of that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, I will be voting. I have yet to make a decision on that, but I will be voting. I am a constituent of New York-12, and I know that that debate happened. Was it yesterday evening that it took place? I wasn't able to watch it, but I’ll try and catch some bits and pieces here and there, but like most New Yorkers, I'm still going — I'm one of those classic yet-to-make-a-decision voters that frustrate campaigns so dearly. To your first question, the last administration hit the gas on AI and allowed it to move forward without the requisite genuine engagement that I think the process deserves. And our administration is going to be taking a different approach. Earlier this year, our New York City Public School System did take the first step to put guardrails in place while developing a policy to protect our students in partnership with families and with communities. And I know the chancellor has been having a number of conversations to that end. We will be putting out something in addition to that soon. I think we're considering all of the options that are being put in front of us.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, I'll work backwards. We know that it is a long-term project to put our city back on firm financial footing, and we are proud of the fact that we closed a $12 billion fiscal deficit in our first year in office. And we also committed to taking the steps along the way to ensure that we build a healthier picture for the long term. One of those steps is actually through our convening of a charter revision commission, COGE, which, if anyone is interested in attending those hearings which are taking place today, tomorrow. Wemby is also invited to come today. You can go to nyc.gov/coge. And the reason I bring that up is that it is driven by a desire to see City government be as careful with its money as working New Yorkers are with theirs. Working New Yorkers deserve to see a City government that is as committed to efficiency, to excellence and to making ends meet in the manner that so many New Yorkers inspire us every day. On your second question, we are committed to rooting out corruption within City government as well as within our city as a whole. And what we've also seen as part of the reason that we stood here today to speak about our vision on housing was that for far too long, the corruption and the violation of the housing code have been operating with impunity across our city. So, there is no boundary at which we will stop to fight that corruption. I will get back to you on the specific question around that shelter operator. And then on the first question, you know, I think we had a very tough game. I was very hopeful at the half, and I've made clear my complaints about the refs. I'm hopeful tonight we're going to see a different game. It is a beautiful thing to see how many New Yorkers are excited. And I think you heard it earlier. The last time we were in the finals was 1999. It was against the Spurs, and we're excited to have a chance to run it back. And we hope for 1973 one more time. And this team is just truly an inspiration to this whole city. And I can tell you, no matter what event I am at, someone will whisper in my ear, “Knicks in five. Knicks in six.” And I still have people shouting at me, “Knicks in four!” I try and tell them, you know, how we got to leave that behind. And I think that what's so exciting about this moment, is we know we live in the biggest city in the United States of America. It feels like a small town when the Knicks are doing well. It feels like everybody's thinking about the same thing, everybody's looking forward to the same things. And we're excited for tonight, for New Yorkers who are lucky enough to go watch the game, for the New Yorkers who will go to bars and restaurants, whether in Midtown or anywhere across the five boroughs, to see the game with their friends, or whether they'll just be walking the streets and hoping to hear a loud shout and a yell as we see Landry Shamet put in another three. No, no, I'm going to a watch party. I could afford one game. I've been uptown. I've been to Queens. Now it's time to go to Brooklyn. Thank you all very much. Thank you. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Cuts Ribbon on Affordable Co-Ops at ANCP Morningside, Highlights Homeownership Agenda in Block by Block Housing Plan.